La Puerta Del Agua
, Partida de Caprala, 49, Petrer.
Click thumbnails for bigger photos
Description
Hotel La Puerta Del Agua is a restored 18th century building, now converted to a small eight-room hotel. It is located in the hinterland of Alicante province, lying in the folds of the Caprala valley surrounded by pine woods, just outside the town of Petrer.
The hotel sits in it's pine-scented gardens with a profusion of flowering shrubs. There is a large swimming pool and terraces and patios for lounging and sun-bathing. Each of the bedrooms is individual, simply decorated with strong clean colours evoking the various corners of the Mediterranean. The bathrooms have large walk-in showers and there is heating for the winter, aircon for the summer, a safe and a television.
The countryside around the Puerta Del Agua is wonderful, with the vast Caprala Valley on the doorstep. The natural vegetation consists of miles and miles Carrasco pine woodland, and mountain plants like thyme, rosemary, broom and blackthorn. This all supports a huge variety of wildlife, including wild boar, mouflon, foxes, rabbits, hares, lizards and tortoises. Occasionally, around sunset, a pair of eagles can be seen flying above the hills near the hotel.
Meals
Dinners are a really special feature at La Puerta del Agua, but don't just take our word for it: read the reviews on the following tab. Depending on the time of year, dinner can be served in the cosy dining room with it's antique furniture and typical rustic beamed ceiling, or outside on the terrace, in the patio, the garden, or by the pool.
Cooking style is "Mediterranean, from Gibraltar to Istanbul". Menus are varied, traditional or modern, cosmopolitan and with a touch of exotic.
The restaurant is open for lunch on Sunday then is closed on Sunday evening and all day Monday.
Out and About
Walking and hiking. There are numerous opportunities for walking in the surrounding hills and mountains. Don't miss the Arenal de l'Almortxò, a huge mountain of sand deposited here at some time in distant geological history. Also try L'Avaiol, El Arenal, La Cueva del Agua etc.
Cycling
Horse-riding
Historic sites
Golf
Places to visit:
Roman villa and baths nearby.
Petrer. Lots of things to see and do, including the castle, arco del castillo, St Bartholomew's church, the aqueduct of San Rafael, and the 18th century plazas, Baix and Dalt.
Archaeological Museum.
Miradors. El Altico, del Calvario, del Castillo, all with great views of the Valley of Elda.
Catí hermitage.
Pantano de Petrer, a water reservoir dating back to the 17th century.
Rooms
Double Room
Double or twin beds, the rooms are simply decorated in the hotel's signature bold colours. There's a television, a safe, an en-suite bathroom, air-conditioning and heating.
Double Room with sauna
The same as the standard double rooms but with its own little sauna cabin in the room.
Junior Suite
Similar to the double rooms but larger with a sitting area and a private sauna cabin.
Reviews
Reviews from Little Hotels Travellers:
| The hotel is stunning- themed rooms from Africa to Chupa Chups. The standard is high and the welcome surpasses all expectations. We stranded in Petrer with a confused satnav - no matter, Vicente hopped into his car and came to lead us up into the hills. On arrival we were made to feel at home and were introduced to Nico (dog), the chicks (alarm clock), and the pregnant cow (Josefin) that liked dried bread for breakfast! Whatever else you do here, have dinner; an experience that has to be tried - fantastic! We had only one night before flying home, but what a wonderful way to end a holiday. Thank you for making our holiday special. If anyone else is reading this and is in the Alicante region, save a day or two to experience La Puerta del Agua. |
| If you want a peaceful retreat in tranquil, beautiful surroundings, you cannot do better than to book a few days here. We were so well looked after by our charming hosts Vincente and Julian, who came to find us when we got lost and prepared us delicious food at a very reasonable price. Definitely not for those looking for the Irish Bar on the Costa! Thank you so much to our hosts. |
| Fab hotel, wonderful food and great taste in music! If the rest of your hotels are like this, we will be booking again. |
| This charming little hotel is set up in the mountains beyond Petrer and Elda, about 50 mins easy drive from Alicante airport. It is an oasis of calm and the gardens are lush with pretty much every type of plant you could think of - pines, palms, acacias, lilies, vines etc. The rooms are well furnished, spacious and cool with a generous sized shower room adding to the luxury. Most evenings, we had pre-dinner drinks under one of the secluded pergolas in the gardens, being serenaded by the unseen tree frogs gently chirping to each other. Dinner itself is in the romantic open courtyard where Vincente and Julian serve course after course of fantastic Spanish food, always rounded off with their very moreish limoncello. The hotel has covered car ports so your car will always be cool if you need it. The location is perfect for driving to visit the many pretty, sleepy towns of the area most notable for us was Biar with its ancient castle and charming central square, complete with fountain. If you go there, you must visit the sanctuary just outside the town. If you need a beach, it would take you around an hour to get to Alicante, Benidorm or Altea but for us, a day of exploring area by car followed by a few hours relaxing by the lovely hotel pool was simply ideal. We had a great time and would recommend it without hesitation to anyone who appreciates nature, tranquility and great food. |
| The Hotel, Vincent and Julian cannot be faulted at all. I loved the place. I was the only visitor at the time so it felt like I had my own villa! The food was so excellent that I can???t find a word to describe it. The only disappointment was that the restaurant was closed Monday and Tuesday (I was there from Sunday to Thursday) so I missed out on a couple of evening meals, but on the other hand they saved me from putting an extra couple of stone in weight on. However, Vincent said that if I wanted to get some food from the local Carrefour, I could keep it in their fridge. I loved it ??? I loved them and whenever I need a few days to chill out, I???ll return. I was glad to discover Little Hotels as I love staying in small traditional places, off the beaten track, no children ??? and La Puerta del Agua ticks all the boxes in bold. |
| Anything we want to say has been said before. La puerta del agua is a perfect spot to unwind. Tremendous hospitality, fantastic food, a beautiful garden - Oh and a very comfortable room with great shower/bathroom. The air-con was certainly a bonus as the weather was approaching 40 degrees. The downside was that we were unable to do much sight seeing but the upside is we will have to return! Can't wait. |
| Absolutely wonderful, thankyou. Vincent (the proprietor) was a little peturbed when we first arrived as we had no car. The hotel is a good 6ks from Petrer, the nearest point for any type of commercial activity, shop/cafe/bars/restaurants etc., hence his concern. This didn't worry us however, as we were on a walking holiday and La Puerta del Agua is situated in some remarkable countryside for this activity. (Perhaps the Spanish authorities could do more to encourage this persuit as maps (good, large scale ones) are non existent, and the information boards which we came across occassionally were next to useless). We were all experienced walkers however and made our own way readily enough. The hotel is set in spacious well tended gardens with masses of secluded sitting areas. The accommodation is not to be faulted. Once Vincent realised what we were about (walking), nothing, nothing at all was too much trouble. He put 'the makings' in the fridge so that we could make ourselves a packed lunch for the day's walk. 'You want' he said, 'just ask'. The most remarkable thing about La Puerta however, is the food. Being so far from anywhere, after a day's walk we ate in every night. Not once did we have less than 6 courses, each one beautifully crafted and each one tasting Mmmmmm. At weekends, people come from miles around to dine there, and it's easy to see why. Saturday evening we started the meal at 9pm, and finished somewhere around half past midnight. I lost count of the number of courses, but there was in excess of a dozen, every one a culinary masterpiece. I've been to Spain many times and eaten well every time, but never have I experienced anything like this on holiday. The presentation both of the food and the dining room (a different theme every night) was outstanding and would grace any restaurant in London or elsewhere. Amazing value for money. Vincent too is a master of his art, that of being host. He laughs it off as 'an illusion', but it's not, he really is very good, and his patter/friendliness infectious. He also plays the most wonderful music over the in house music system. You name it, he has it, but his choice was we found, always best. There are places other than the hills within walking distance. The castle at Sax and Petrer itself with its castle and fine old town quarter being two. Each makes about a 15km circular walk. Anyone who really does want to 'get away from it all' - look no further. The taxi fare from Alicante is 60 euros (per cab). |
| We have just returned from a lovely relaxing stay at La Puerta del Agua near Petrer in Spain. The accomodation was excellent, and the beautiful tranquil gardens were all that we had remembered from our previous visits. The natural beauty of the surrounding countryside provided us with sime excellent walking and wildlife watching. Vincent and Julian prepared some memorable traditional Spanish meals and looked after us in their usual thorough but unobtrusive way. I would recommend their unique hotel and service to anyone who wants to experience Spanish living and cuisine in the very best of natural surroundings. Thanks for making our holiday possible. |
| Had a very different type of weekend break at Petrer last week. Must say that the welcome was genuine and the hotel unique and very good. We even had a 14 course meal on the Sat' night. However I was not impressed by the state of the pool and it's surroundings. Nothing was ready and the pool surroundings needed a clean up. The accomodation was very nice and apart from the above comments we did enjoy our stay. |
| The four of us had a very enjoyable stay at Puerta del Agua. The food is excellent as is the accommodation, and Vincente is a charming host. Be aware, however, that as well as there being no dinner served on Sunday or Monday (which we were informed about before we went), it is essential to book several days in advance if you want to eat on a Saturday night! The hotel puts on a 12 course dinner that night, which is very popular with the locals. The result was that they were fully booked for Saturday dinner when we telephoned them a couple of days before arrival. They did manage to squeeze us in but only as a special favour. The dinner started at 10 pm and went on until about 1 o'clock in the morning! When we went (mid-September) the swimming pool area was closed. Otherwise a perfect place for a stay in unspoilt countryside. |
| We were due to have a short break with friends near Murcia, but this
was cancelled at short notice due to a problem at home. We found La
Puerta del Agua on your website and booking was confirmed just 2 days
before we were due to travel so we were a little nervous about our
choice. We needn't have worried.The welcome and service we received from Vicente was second to none and Julian's food was fabulous. We would unreservedly recommend this lovely little hotel to anyone looking for a totally relaxing break with great food. |
| Lovely hotel in beautiful setting. Individual touches much appreciated. Attentive hosts, high standard overall. |
| We stayed 6 nights here at the end of September and were very pleased with the spacious, spotless room with great en suite shower and air conditioning. It is situated up in the hills about 40 minutes inland along the motorway from Alicante. Vicente & Julio, the owners, were excellent hosts and we felt as though we were in the real Spain. Food cooked by Julio was first class but eating dinner at 9.30pm was a little late for us. The landscaped gardens were a delight and if we hadn't hit a patchy week weather wise we would have made full use of the swimming pool. |
| Every once in a while the lucky traveller comes across a hotel that is something out of the ordinary and will remain with him as one of life's happy memories. So it was with me, when, in Spain on personal business, I discovered LA PUERTA DEL AGUA, an 8-bedroom hotel in the mountains near Petrer, some 30 kms inland from Alicante. When I arrived the hotel restaurant was crowded with local Spanish families enjoying a happy - and excellent -Sunday lunch and there was a friendly atmosphere engendered by Julian's cooking and Vincente hosting. The hotel is in beautiful wooded country, overlooked by mountains and the garden must have an example of just about every flowering shrub known to Spain. When the families departed I discovered I was the only guest in the hotel (it was late May and the summer season still a week or so away), as a result I spent five days in the tranquility of this out-of-the-way spot enjoying the sunshine, the garden and the newly-filled swimming pool, eating in the hotel every evening. The meals were superb, Julian and Vincente always friendly and ready for a chat, or a drink, but never obtrusive and when my five days and nights were up I was given two small gifts to take back to England for my wife and presented with a bill that was less than I would have paid for a single night without meals in many London hotels. It was an experience I look forward to repeating whenever an opportunity arises. |
| We had 2 nights staying at Hotel La Puerta Del Agua near Petrer, about 25km from Alicante airport. The accomodation is beautiful and the gardens surrounding the hotel were a mass of flowers and plants showing off their new spring colours. Vincente was a perfect host and Julian excelled with the food he prepared. We were fortunate enough to book for their traditional Sunday lunch, 7 or 8 or maybe 9 courses (I stopped counting) of the most delicious local specialities freshly prepared by Julian. All shared with a restaurant full of locals who appreciate the good things in life. Following a 2pm start the meal ended, about 5pm with most of the party enjoying a good natured dance in the courtyard (I forgot to mention Vincente's taste in music is excellent and adds to the surroundings). Overall we would thoroughly recommend Hotel La Puerta Del Agua to any of your patrons looking for tasteful, relaxed, unique accomodation with beautiful food. |
BOOK THIS HOTEL
We're sorry. Right at this moment this hotel is not bookable on our site. We hope to make it available again very soon.Double rooms from €50
Guest rating 9.5
See location map
We Say
Well off the beaten track, La Puerta Del Agua offers a part of Alicante that few visitors ever see. Fantastic value!
A Word from the Owner
At La Puerta Del Agua you will discover the sound of silence, the beauty of peace and the vital experience of freedom.
Hide location map
Reception hall
Restaurant
Garden
Terrace
Swimming pool (Jun‑Sep)
Car park
Television
Safe
En‑suite bathroom
Air‑conditioning
Heating